HR/Management tech question for engineering

[Fizzy Coca-Cola]

I'm contemplating my future.

right now I work about 50-60 hours a week while in school full time, switching between my two part time jobs, one at a restaurant on the weekends, the other at a systems integration company where I work as an electrical and mechanical engineering designer using a lot of autocad and solidworks.

Generally, I work every day. I was wondering if my GPA could be lower (3.2) and still find top tier jobs based on my work ethic.

I ask because I intend to move to texas in 2-3 years, and I wouldnt want to hurt my future income via keeping a high current income and not getting all As.

it seems the obvious answer is "just get all As, then work as much as you can in between" but its definitely not that easy.

Anyone that does hiring for electrical engineers: Advice?

 

[soulcougher73]

I cant speak from experience, but going off what ive heard the GPA doesnt matter too much when finding a job, its more that you completed the degree regardless of GPA. Like i said dont rely on my answer 100% since i only have an AA, but in the same field. Working at a big engineering firm doing drafting work.

 

[Fizzy Coca-Cola]

I appreciate your feedback!

 

[sm625]

It is much better to be able to pad your resume with valuable work experience.

 

[cbrunny]

Not an engineer but have never been asked what my GPA was. I think applicable experience counts for more.

Personally, I'd split the difference. Quit your restaurant job unless you must have it, try to pick up some more hours at the relevant work place. If you can't get the hours, work on your GPA. You might need it for grad school some day.

 

[freeskier93]

This is really more company specific than field specific (within engineering). A company like SpaceX really, REALLY, cares about GPA. You could be Wernher Von Braun himself and and they'd still want to know his GPA.

I don't know what your definition of a top tier job is, but I currently have a 2.86 and will be starting as a systems integration/test engineer for Lockheed Martin on the new GPS satellites after I graduate in May. Most companies will value work experience much more than GPA.

 

[rcpratt]

Keep it above 3, you'll be fine.

 

[chucky2]

I know for a fact (know HR people) in some large Telecomm companies if you're under a 3.0 as a new college grad you aren't getting in - you aren't even being considered, your application goes into the Send form letter thx for your application you're not being considered at this time.

They just neglect to tell you, you'll never be considered. Ensure you don't get below a 3.0, at the minimum.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I can't speak for EEs specifically, but my wife and I both work in the tech industry - I'm a software engineer and she's worked a bunch of HR positions at tech companies and has been involved in college hires; I asked her quickly (I will obviously not disclose where she works) they DO look at your GPA for both internships and full time roles. They ALSO look at the school you went to AND the projects you've worked on. For the larger tech companies that get tons of applicants, if you went to a big name school (MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, UPenn, Cal Tech, USC, etc) you have a chance. If you worked on bigger projects that look impressive, you also have a chance.

I went to a smaller college - the CS program was around 100 people I believe. The CE program was over 100, but still small. I applied to internships at the big names every year...and every year I got *no where* - I had to take internships at smaller operations. One of those internships ended up having me work closely with engineers from another company. They had me apply to a job at their company, and I was treated as a "industry hire" since they more or less were poaching me - this is the only reason I got in - the college I'd attended didn't matter.

Long story short: your first job out of college, unless it results directly from an internship, will want to see your transcript and will care about your GPA and projects you've worked on. They'll probably also give you the usual interview questions (for software, that means you'll be writing something to deal with a linked list, dealing with big O notation and all the usual BS); after you've had your first job and you're in the industry your GPA and transcript won't matter. At all.

 

[PowerEngineer]

they DO look at your GPA for both internships and full time roles. They ALSO look at the school you went to AND the projects you've worked on. For the larger tech companies that get tons of applicants, if you went to a big name school (MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, UPenn, Cal Tech, USC, etc) you have a chance. If you worked on bigger projects that look impressive, you also have a chance.

Agree pretty much with this, although I'm sure there are some exceptions out there somewhere.

Any jobs you get as an engineer during the first few years after graduation (say 3-5) will be largely due to your degree. The hiring focus will be on how impressive your college performance was (e.g. the school, your grades, and engineering internships). As you gain work experience after graduation, their interest in hiring you will shift more toward that work experience (i.e. where you worked and what you did for them). I'd expect that by the time you have seven years of work experience under your belt, no one will be asking about your GPA (only your schools and degrees).

I would suggest that you consider taking the engineer-in-training test as soon as you can after graduation. Some companies and/or industries like to hire engineers with state-issued professional licenses, and that first step of passing the engineer-in-training test can be a real PITA if you've been out of school for a few years.

I gather that your GPA is currently above 3.2. In this day and age of grade inflation, you might want to aim for a 3.5; it may open a few more doors for you. The systems integration work will look good on your resume; I don't think the restaurant job really adds anything. If you can afford it, those restaurant hours might be better used to maximize what you learn from your engineering classes.

My two cents...